{"id":58466,"date":"2025-01-21T23:45:39","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T22:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=58466"},"modified":"2026-01-21T03:20:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T02:20:12","slug":"san-marino-a-brief-visual-tour-of-a-small-country-that-seems-straight-out-of-a-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2025\/01\/21\/san-marino-a-brief-visual-tour-of-a-small-country-that-seems-straight-out-of-a-tale\/","title":{"rendered":"San Marino, a brief visual tour of a small country that seems straight out of a tale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Europe is a continent full of beautiful corners and large and small countries. Some of them are particularly picturesque.<\/p>\n

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This is the case of the Republic of San Marino, the official name given to the third smallest country in Europe<\/strong> (its area is 61 square kilometers) and the oldest on the continent<\/strong>, since its foundation dates back to the year 301 after Christ, when a Catholic deacon, Marinus the Dalmatian, arrived at Monte Titano fleeing from the persecutions unleashed by the then emperor of Rome, Diocletian, against Christians.<\/strong> That deacon, known today as San Marino, founded a church there dedicated to the Apostle Saint Peter.<\/p>\n

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The flag of the Republic of San Marino (Photo: Aboodi Vesakaran<\/a>).<\/div>\n

San Marino is a very mountainous country.<\/strong> It is made up of six mountains<\/strong> (Monte Tiano is the highest, plus Monte Carlo, Monte della Mandra, Monte Pulito and Monte San Cristoforo) and three peaks that dominate the capital<\/strong> (Guaita, Montale and De La Fratta). This makes San Marino difficult to access, which is why it is the only city-state in Italy to have maintained its independence during the process of Italian unification<\/strong> in the 19th century.<\/p>\n

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The Statue of Liberty and the Public Palace, seat of the government of San Marino (Photo: Marcok<\/a>).<\/div>\n

San Marino's independence was recognised by the Papal States in 1291.<\/strong> Initially, the territory of this small country included only Monte Tiano, the refuge of Marinus the Dalmatian. The country has maintained its current borders since 1463,<\/strong> when it incorporated the towns of Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino and Serravalle.<\/p>\n

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Guaita Castle (Photo: Lorenzo Castagnone<\/a>).<\/div>\n

Throughout its history, San Marino has had problems with the Papal States (which tried to take over the country several times) and then with Italy. It remained neutral during both World Wars<\/strong>, which did not prevent several Allied bombings (believing that the republic had been occupied by the Germans) and a brief German occupation in September 1944, which ended with the Battle of San Marino and two months of Allied occupation. As a curiosity, San Marino does not belong to the European Union<\/strong>, although it uses the euro as its currency.<\/p>\n

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Another image of Guaita Castle (Photo: Patrick<\/a>).<\/div>\n

San Marino has a population of around 35,000 and is a predominantly Catholic country<\/strong>, although it does not even have its own bishopric. In addition, the country has one of the smallest armies in the world<\/strong>, the Forze Armate Sammarinesi (San Marino Armed Forces), founded in 1406. The country is divided into nine municipalities, called castelli (castles).<\/strong> It has the appearance of a country straight out of a fairy tale, with beautiful castles, churches and monuments and green, mountainous landscapes.<\/p>\n

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The Montale Tower (Photo: Commonists<\/a>).<\/div>\n

If you want to see more, a few days ago Amazing Places on Our Planet<\/a> published a nice video that takes a visual tour of San Marino for almost seven minutes<\/strong>, showing its castles, monuments and landscapes:<\/p>\n